Admin I Wednesday, Nov.01, 2023
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Court of Appeal sitting in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT today unseated the former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, from his position in the Senate.
The court upheld the election of Emmanuel Memga Udende of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC who was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
This momentous decision, reached unanimously by a three-member panel of Justices, has determined that Suswam was not the legitimate victor of the senatorial election conducted in Benue North East on February 25.
The Court of Appeal found fault with the judgment of the Benue State National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, which had reinstated Suswam, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the Senator, effectively nullifying the electoral success of Mr. Emmanuel Udende, an All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.
The appellate court contended that the tribunal had inaccurately assessed the evidence presented by the involved parties, leading to an erroneous conclusion favoring Suswam’s petition challenging Udende’s election victory.
As a result, the Court of Appeal invalidated the tribunal’s judgment, endorsing the appeal submitted by the APC candidate.
In the lead verdict, delivered by Justice Abimbola Osarugue Obaseki Adejumo, who led the panel, the court announced its decision: “The judgment of the tribunal delivered on 8/9/2023 is hereby set aside. The return of the Appellant as the winner of the Benue North East senatorial election that was held on February 25 is hereby affirmed. Parties are to bear their respective costs.”
It is worth noting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had initially declared Udende as the winner of the senatorial election, as he secured a total of 135,573 votes, surpassing Senator Suswam, who received 112,231 votes.
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